E-Book - Mahatma Gandhi

Mahatma Gandhi – His Life & TimesOn Tuesday, they discussed Gandhi's trip to Rome. He wanted to see Mussoliniand other Italian leaders as well as the Pope. Rolland warned him that theFascist regime would exploit his presence for its sinister purposes. Gandhi saidhe would break through the cordon they might throw around him. Rollandsuggested that he put certain conditions. Gandhi replied that it was against hisconvictions to make such arrangements in advance. Rolland persisted. Gandhisaid, 'Then tell me, what is your final opinion on my plan to stop in Rome?'Rolland advised him to stay with some independent persons. Gandhi promisedand kept the promise.Rolland asked Gandhi to comment on his remarks about Europe. Gandhi said itshowed him how vast had been Rolland's suffering. Speaking English whichRolland's sister translated into French, Gandhi said he had learned very littlefrom history. ‘My method is empiric,' he explained. 'All my conclusions arebased on personal experience.' This, he admitted, could be dangerous andmisleading, but he had to have faith in his own views. All his trust was in nonviolence,it could save Europe. In England, friends tried to show him theweakness of his non-violent method; "but even though the whole world doubtsit, I will continue to believe in it.’The next two days Gandhi spent in Lausanne where he addressed a publicmeeting and in Geneva where he spoke in Victory Hall. At each he was heckledfor hours by atheists and others. He answered them in perfect calm, 'not amuscle of his face twitching', Rolland wrote.On December 10, they resumed their conversation. Rolland recalled Gandhi'sstatement at Geneva: Truth is God'. He gave Gandhi a brief sketch of his life,his childhood, how cramped he felt in the small French town, how he became awriter and struggled with the problem of the truth in art. 'If it is correct',Rolland said, 'that "Truth is God, it appears to me that it lacks one importantattribute of God: joy. For —and on this I insist—I recognize no God without joy'.Gandhi replied that he did not distinguish between art and truth. 'I am againstthe formula, "Art for art's sake". For me, all art must be based on the truth. Ireject beautiful things if, instead of expressing truth, they express untruth. Iwww.mkgandhi.org Page 331